Out 29 January, 2026
Via Easy Life Records
Words by: CECILIA PATTISON-LEVI
Softcult is a Canadian alternative-rock with tinges of grunge and shoegaze duo consisting of twin siblings Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn. The duo is known for their melding of multiple musical styles with their independent, do-it-yourself and ‘riot grrrl’ inspired ethics.
The album opens with an eerie metallic Intro that melds and flows into soft piano music. The piano melody speeds up and the contrasting tones ease into a beautiful instrumental track. It is followed by a rapidly strummed electric guitar as Pill To Swallow commences. The song is catchy and shoegaze hypnotic, with memorable lyrics to piece it all together: Down at the bottom, it’s a hard pill to swallow, the twins sing in the chorus. The voices falter and overlap between quick instrumental solos and layered sounds. Then, Naive follows with its haunting electric guitars and harmonised vocals. The song is about the protagonist’s inability to realize the dangers of their toxic relationship.
The song 16/25 begins with a catchy drumbeat and haze hallucinogenic sounds. It has a raw melody as the lyrics approach the subject of child exploitation and what is an inappropriate age gap between two lovers: ‘She doesn’t know how to love you/she doesn’t know how to drive.’ The older lover continues to prey on the object of his affection’s ‘immature‘ and ‘innocent‘ lifestyles; he sets preconceived ideas and attention for the young girl while ignoring the abusive nature of the relationship. Then, a further deep dive into this area of abuse is She Said, He Said hearsay with its big bassline grove. The song begins with a grainy voice retelling an event between two partners at a bar. The man guilt-trips the woman into coming home with him: ‘I got you all those drinks/ bought you dinner/ so why can’t you be nice?.’ The following song is Hurt Me that has a harder, frantic and urgent punk-rock sound. The song breaks down into a softer ending that showcases the flight (punk) and the softcore sounds (after the flight) the contrast is very clever in a song writing context.
I Held You Like Glass has an ecstatic emotive feel and the instrumentation carries more of that shoegaze aesthetic. This song concerns the fragile nature of love and it’s double edged. The flowing song Queen Of Nothing is a grungy guitar led song with sweet muddy vocals. Then, the riot-grrrl Tired! brings the proto-punk with its minute-long blast. Softcult lists off societal pressures they are tired of facing as the punk instrumentation reach their crescendos alongside the band’s persistent screams: ‘Tired of the exploitation, tired of the deprivation!’ It is quickly followed by the harmonic ‘Not Sorry‘ where Softcult sing: ‘Throwing a fit, I’m so indifferent.’ The song is a call for the need of an independent and unapologetic lifestyle. The bridge refrain of ‘I’m not sorry’ fades out.
The album closes with the longest song, the four-minute titled track When A Flower Doesn’t Grow. The song is softer, with gentle acoustic guitar strumming and hushed vocals. The lyrics are about the problems of putting flowers in the wrong environment and expecting them to thrive. It is the central metaphor of the album. People, especially women, need a n environment to grow. Softcult want to drag those societal matters into the musical sunlight. What is the adage: Sunlight is the best antiseptic.
